Category: Uncategorized

I lived my life 1/4 of Mile at a Time…and Now I regret it

On By trustmeimnotadrIn Food for Thought, life, peace, success, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Dominic Toretto once said “I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Yadadadadada, for those 10 seconds or less I’m free”, or close enough. I am a 90’s kid, and like most of us who grew up in that ohhh so sweet spot between being an old fart and a full blown millennial, I took to heart everything I learned via my role models on TV (this was long before Youtube and people chewing on laundry packs for fame, because of course that will make you uber famous in 2018).

As badass as it sounds to say you lived your life a quarter of a mile at time, the reality is very different from the expectation. By living your life this way (which I did, much to my disappointment, maybe I needed more NOS or a larger ball bearing turbo) you begin to focus more on living fast and less on the actual fantastic life experiences you are going through. I took for granted people, moments, feelings, sensations, all in an attempt to “live my life a quarter of a mile at a time”.

It’s a sad day to look at your old contacts list and realize that you don’t remember who half of them are or what it felt like to be around them. Instead of living our lives a quarter mile at a time, let’s go ahead and live our lives focusing on every inch of that tarmac as we swiftly drive across it as slowly as possible. Embrace every second you spend with every single person or experience you have because in a blink of an eye it may be the last time you ever feel the way you did at that particular point in time and it’s really easy to forget just whom or what it is you ever lived for. If you’re reading this means you’re still alive, breathe it in…

Written by: Del Rivers

Around the World, Sort Of: Venice and the Debunking of a Few Myths in the Process

On By trustmeimnotadrIn humor, life, travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Venice is an amazing city, no doubt, but after spending the better half of the last few weeks reading blogs and articles on what I needed to know before coming here I still feel that I was a bit unprepared. I am originally from Puerto Rico but now live in the USA and although things are different in PR than in the US there are a lot of similarities due to PR being a US territory. Looking back now, the problem with everything that I read was that the information was either dated or biased. I think it’s time to create a straightforward, easy to comprehend list of notable key differences and debunk a few myths about Venice. To clarify, when I say Venice I mean the actual canals where all of the cool stuff to see is at not Mestre or the city like areas around it. Of course, as with everything, this is based on my own experiences and perhaps yours was different. Feel free to share your experience as well:

  1. Your legs are your primary form of transport: Venice, at least most of it, does not allow cars nor bicycles. The only other method of transportation is by sea where you can take a water taxi or public transport boat which are pricey. Prepare to walk everywhere and over long distances! The locals have an expression, “the more you walk, the longer you live.”
  2. Water is gold: In the US, water fountains are on every corner and you can pretty much pickup a bottle of water on every corner for about $1usd. In Venice, water fountains are very few and far between. In fact, I don’t recall seeing a single one! If you get thirsty (which you will after walking all day everywhere) you’ll need to buy a bottle of water which average at about 3 euros which is about the same price as you’d pay for a drink or beer here so you’d be better off getting hammered throughout your stay but that will also prove troublesome because…
  3. You need to go on an archeological expedition to find a bathroom: Ok, perhaps that was a bit over the top but truth be told there isn’t a bathroom on every corner, at least not an accessible one anyways. Unlike the US where there’s a toilet pretty much everywhere (pretty soon all Fords will come with standard backseat urinals), Venice has limited bathrooms available. No stores have bathrooms for customer use and even some restaurants don’t have bathrooms. In fact, bathrooms are such a pain in the ass to find that a common question you will find yourself asking when deciding at what restaurant you will choose to eat will be “do you have a toilet?” Now that we mention restaurants, let’s debunk something…
  4. Venice isn’t cheap but it isn’t batshit insane either: One of the most common things I’ve read on nearly every single blog or article is everyone bitching and moaning about how expensive Venice is. If you’ve ever been to any major US city than the prices in Venice should not be any surprise (I live in Atlanta now). In fact, I spent twice as much money in the same amount of time in Miami (Florida) than I did in Venice doing just about the same shit. If anything, Venice is a bit cheaper because alcohol is a lot less expensive than it is in the US (major cities). You can get a nice cocktail at a nice restaurant for about 4 euros (approx $4.51 USD). Tell me where the fuck in Atlanta can you get a top shelf drink for $4.50 that isn’t some shithole? I’d be lucky if I can get rat poison on the rocks for that price back home! I am under the assumption that people are comparing Venice to other parts of Europe but if you’re from the US and you’re comparing apples to apples than please realize that you are actually getting more for less in Venice than back home. Continuing with the topic of restaurants and bars…
  5. Tips are a lot less: In Venice, tipping isn’t commonplace because most restaurants and bars automatically add both a service charge and cover charge to your check. Service charges range between 10-15% but I’d say 12% is the most common. As for the cover charge, honestly it’s a BS charge that you are billed at most places if you decide to eat at their facilities vs taking it elsewhere. Not all places charge it BUT be very wary of the places that don’t as they tend to upcharge everything and by a lot if you decide to eat there. If you decide to eat outside with a view, here is my personal favorite to debunk…
  6. Venice Does Not Stink Nearly as Bad as The Critics Say: There, I’ve said it! Every single person I know that has been to Venice bitches about the “nasty ass smell” that lingers in the air. I will say it once; Venice does not smell like fucking roses but it does NOT smell like a rotting corpse either! In actuality it smells like any fisherman town I have been to such as Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Please stop spreading this BULLSHIT!!!

To be continued, When in Rome…

Written by: Del Rivers

Forgotten Song of the Day: Astrud Gilberto- Fly Me to the Moon

On By trustmeimnotadrIn Food for Thought, life, music, peace, UncategorizedLeave a comment

As I sit here drinking my Campari Spritz (a drink I picked up a habit of drinking, as redundant as that may sound,  in Italy and although it tastes weird as fuck it grows on you or at least that’s what the locals made me believe) the sound of my Pandora Bossanova music station resonates but nothing really stands out until the soothing voice of Astrud Gilberto singing “Fly Me to the Moon”,  made famous by Frank Sinatra (although it is much older, originally written by Bart Howard 10 years before in 1954) seeps through the speakers of my IPad.

I still recall the first time I heard this incantation on her behalf in a romantic comedy named “Down With Love” which starred Ewan McGregor and Rene Zellweger (remember her?!). At the time of it’s release, which was 2003, it was one of my favorite “rom/coms” which took place in the early 60’s when women’s rights were starting to become a huge deal (as they should have!). I won’t go too in-depth into the film but I recall a scene in  which spliced both Frank Sinatra’s version with Astrud Gilberto’s and it was nothing short of magical. I implore you to take the time to listen to one of the most beautiful voices of all time, also known as Astrud Gilberto, now because you never know when you might ever have the chance to do something that intoxicates you with pure and unadulterated emotion.

Written by: Del Rivers

Quote of the Day: Roman Payne, Hope and Despair

On By trustmeimnotadrIn Food for Thought, life, peace, poetry, Random Thoughts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

“It’s not that we have to quit this life one day, it’s how many things we have to quit all at once: holding hands, hotel rooms, music, the physics of falling leaves, vanilla and jasmine, poppies, smiling, anthills, the color of the sky, coffee and cashmere, literature, sparks and subway trains… If only one could leave this life slowly!”

-Roman Payne, Hope and Despair

Six Degrees of Separation…Perhaps?

On By trustmeimnotadrIn Food for Thought, humor, life, peace, Random Thoughts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Another day has gone by; another story to be told has been written. As I sit drinking my coffee at the nearby café, I can’t help but look at everyone around me and think how we all have our own stories, our own memories, our own problems, our own daily dilemmas and issues.  To think that I got it easy compared to other people makes me feel somewhat blessed but it also leads me to think about how things happen and how we are all linked in some way or another.

The guy that is sitting in the table next to me at this very moment, scrolling aimlessly through his laptop, quite possibly might have ten times more problems than I do and to be honest  I might never know. Although it does get me to think; could someone that knows him, know someone that knows me and could said person be what causes him some of his problems? Crazy to think how it really is a small world. With all of its vast oceans and continents we still  can’t escape the lingering fact that we are all connected in some way. I remember a song by a band I loved in my college years that  said “Seeing all those people on the ground, wasting their time.” Looking back now I find that song very interesting because a lot of people are literally wasting away their lives and weathering away in the tunnels of time. Funny how there are billions of people on this planet and we don’t even know 1/1,000,000th of them all and even funnier is that we may all be somehow connected. Perhaps it’s time I get up and introduce myself…

Written by: Del Rivers